Three Firearm Choices for Disaster Situations Guest Post

Three Firearm Choices for Disaster Situations

Time and time again, governments all across the world have shown that they are alarmingly inept at keeping citizens safe during a natural disaster or a major civil disturbance. Citizens who expect their governments to rescue them are likely to find themselves at the mercy of hunger, disease, and violent mobs. It is painfully obvious that citizens must take preliminary measures to provide for their own safety and sustenance in case of such an event. Unfortunately, some citizens fail to take even the most basic precautions and live their lives totally unprepared for a disaster of any kind.

Even those who prepare for disasters with medicine and food storage sometimes neglect to purchase and train with a firearm. This is a potentially fatal mistake because in a severe disaster situation, desperate individuals might try to steal others’ food supplies. Things could easily turn violent, and it is of the utmost importance that you have a weapon with which to protect yourself and your family. Consider these three popular firearms for self-defense in a disaster situation.

AK Rifle

The AK family of rifles is perhaps the most well-known design in the world. Rifles such as the AK-47, AK-74, WASR-10, and many more continue to be popular with gun owners due to their generous magazine capacity, availability of after-market accessories, and famous dependability. An AK is known as a rifle that cannot be jammed. Many “torture test” videos uploaded to YouTube by proud AK owners show the rifles functioning flawlessly even after handfuls of sand are poured directly into the action. This is a significant benefit for an emergency gun, considering that cleaning supplies and lubrication may not always be available.

The AK has been battle tested in many war zones across the globe. The 7.62×39 round is potent at long distances as well as in close quarters. The intimidation factor also comes into play with the AK. During the Los Angeles riots, shop owners were observed guarding their premises with AKs. Very few of them had to fire a single shot; the AK’s reputation was enough to deter the looters.

Glock Semi-automatic Handgun

A handgun is another solid choice for an emergency gun. Concealability is the main advantage. A rifle may deliver excellent firepower, but nothing short of a trenchcoat will conceal it if you need to pass through an area without attracting attention. Even full-size handguns can be concealed under a shirt or jacket with a shoulder holster.

Some gun owners will deride the comparatively small magazine capacity of handguns. However, after-market extended magazines that mitigate this problem are available for many Glock handguns. Glocks come in every popular semi-automatic handgun cartridge. Ammo commonality could be another advantage for those who own a pistol caliber carbine. 9mm ammo is fairly cheap and easy to come by.

Most gun owners have an old revolver or a 1911 collecting dust in the safe, so why must an emergency gun be a Glock? The first reason is that Glocks are known for being boringly reliable. Much like the AK, it is very difficult to jam a Glock even on purpose. They are not picky about ammunition and continue to function even without being cleaned and lubricated properly. Furthermore, the polymer frame means that a Glock is less vulnerable to rust.

Pump-action Shotgun

Shotguns are already a popular home defense weapon. A pump-action shotgun’s small magazine capacity of five to eight rounds is a disadvantage, but an attacker is very likely to be stopped with one shot. In addition, the internal magazine of a pump-action shotgun can be topped off with another round when the opportunity arises. This is much more cumbersome with a semi-automatic firearm that uses a detachable magazine.

The manual mode of operation means that reliability is close to 100%. However, this also means that the rate of fire is slower. Shotgun pellets are ineffective past 100 yards or so, but they are second to none in close quarters.

When it comes to disaster situations, whatever they may be, don’t be a victim, and don’t expect the government to protect and rescue you. Take control of the situation. Decide whether you prefer a rifle, Glock, or shotgun, and train so that you’re comfortable and able to protect yourself and your family should disaster strike.

Lee Flynn is from the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, UT. After Lee spent years preparing himself, his home and his family, he decided he had to do more. In his free time, Lee helps educate those who want to do the same. Through small local workshops and articles, Lee trains and teaches others on home preparation, food storage techniques, wilderness survival and self reliance. After obtaining a bachelors degree from the University of Utah, Lee moved to the Salt Lake Valley where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

I am Josh the owner of Beat The End. I am a prepper and trying to be more self sufficient. The most likely thing I am preparing for is an economic meltdown/civil unrest. I am a hunter, fisherman and outdoors man. I have also made a part of the website to explain and inform to my readers the importance of liberty and freedom and libertarianism. If you would like to see the political part of the site please go to beattheend.com/politics.

Related

Lee,
I carry the 3 weapons you talked about. I also picked up an AK 74 which is good to 600 yards for me as with the AK 47 I am good to 300 yard.
The Glock, I have a 40 and a 45. After the FBI shootout in Florida years back, I changed calibers as a police officer and went bigger. I realize it is shot placement that counts and a 9 will do its job at that time, I just like the bigger bullet. I found it breaks bones better than a 9.
I enjoyed your article , I hope to see more.
Best Regards, RangerRick

Thanks for the comment. I actually didn’t have any of the three Lee listed. I have an AR-15, an autoloader 12 gauge and a S&W Shield 9 and a 357 mag trooper revolver. The best thing is to have guns you are comfortable with and suit your needs.

If you like our articles sign up for our newsletter that keeps you updated once a week with the articles we post. It is on the top left sidebar of the site. Thanks for the comments!

The wife unit and I flyfish on small crkees that run near to old mining roads and narrow gauge rail beds. Most of them are now National Forest 4WD trails. She and I take the old solid front axle Toy truck with the camper shell into these remote areas for as long as a week. We carry a Savage .22WRM/12ga along as a camp gun along with sidearms, .357 and .44 mag hoglegs. Early bird seasons: dove, ptarmigan and blue grouse early teal and sometimes the first waterfowl split, overlap with some special big game seasons. The flyfishing can be stunning during the brown/brook trout spawning season mid-September into early October.Its a great time of year. There are many years when we are blessed with an Indian Summer. The weekend warriors and flatlanders have all gone, leaving the high country to hunters and hardcore fisherfolk. Can’t ask for a more beautiful time to wander the high country; what with the aspens in their full glory, crisp cold mornings and the odd, errant snowstorms blowing about in the brilliant blue sky.The Savage is a great forage, survival firearm that requires very little room for its versatility. I agree with Standard Measure about the Cut Slug. Bird shot can, with a judicious cut of a pen knife, turn into an ungulate killer or defensive round. Given that 911 calls do not work in the back country, (or anywhere else for that matter!) there is always the self-defense consideration. Even in the high country, not all the predatory species are canine, feline or four legged!

Good ‘ol lever 30 with a good scope and Hornady ammo. Any further and I can’t identify the target anyway, so nothing else is needed. Harvests deer and food game no problem and doesn’t shock the feds at road blocks.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Get Beat The End’s Newsletter

Information is the most important thing a prepper can gain!

Make sure to choose the newsletter you want or you can choose both. Politics is from the beattheend.com/politics page and the survival newsletter is from the beatthend.com page. Make sure to check out the other one if you haven't looked at the other page.